# Words one can get confused

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [September 18, 2022, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772 "2022-09-18T20:10:31Z")\
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**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/172 "2022-11-07T12:43:51Z")

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Averse and adverse or often confused with each other. They are not interchangeable.

A person can be averse, meaning they have an aversion - that is, something they try to avoid. If you have an aversion to risk, you are risk-averse. Interestingly, I don’t think I’ve ever heard that phrase used for other situations, e.g. a person who has an aversion to dogs is never described as dog-averse.

Conditions or effects can be adverse. Adverse weather, adverse economic conditions, and so on. Adverse weather will have an adverse effect on your travel time.

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